Serum Levels and Clinical Significance of miR-143 and miR-155 in Children with Recurrent Oral Ulcer

YUE Chuan; MA Yang; WANG Mingxian; LI Jia

doi:10.3639/j.issn.2095-3097.2026.02.004

Abstract：Objective To investigate the expression levels and clinical significance of serum microRNA-143(miR-143)and microRNA-155(miR-155)in children with recurrent oral ulcer(ROU).Methods Ninety-six children with ROU admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital Baoding Hospital,Capital Medical University from January 2020 to August 2023 were selected as the observation group,and 96 healthy children undergoing physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum levels of miR-143 and miR-155 were detected and compared between the two groups.Children in the observation group were followed up for 6 months after treatment.Those with recurrence frequency<2 times were included in the non-recurrence group(n=53),and those with recurrence frequency≥2 times were included in the recurrence group(n=43).Serum miR-143,miR-155 levels and clinical data were compared between the recurrence and non-recurrence groups.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors for recurrence in children with ROU.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the value of serum miR-143 and miR-155 in predicting recurrence in children with ROU.Results The serum miR-143 level in the observation group before treatment was significantly lower than that after treatment and that in the control group(P<0.05),while the serum miR-155 level before treatment was significantly higher than that after treatment and that in the control group(P<0.05).The proportion of ulcer diameter≥5 mm,the level of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and the miR-155 level in the recurrence group were significantly higher than those in the non-recurrence group(P<0.05),while the miR-143 level was significantly lower than that in the non-recurrence group(P<0.05).Serum miR-143 in children with ROU was positively correlated with CD4+and CD8+,and negatively correlated with interleukin(IL)-2,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.05).Serum miR-155 was negatively correlated with CD4+and CD8+,and positively correlated with IL-2,IL-6,and TNF-α(P<0.05).MiR-143 was a protective factor against recurrence in children with ROU(P<0.05),while miR-155 was a risk factor for recurrence(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum miR-143 and miR-155 for predicting recurrence in children with ROU was 0.823 and 0.833,with sensitivity of 67.44%and 72.09%,and specificity of 84.91%and 83.02%,respectively.The AUC of the combination prediction was 0.917,with a sensitivity of 90.70%and a specificity of 83.02%.The combined prediction was superior to either marker alone(Z combination vs miR-143=2.153,P=0.031;Z combination vs miR-155=2.294,P=0.022).Conclusion Serum miR-143 level decreased and miR-155 level increased in children with ROU,and the combination of the two has high prognostic value for ROU.